Marriage amendment backers, foes hold dueling news conferences

Jeff Hunt attends conference in Raleigh

Published: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 5:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 5:21 p.m.

RALEIGH (AP) — Supporters and opponents of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in North Carolina are disagreeing over the proposal's effect on the state's domestic violence laws.

Both sides in the fight over the proposed amendment held news conferences Tuesday, one week before votes are counted.

In Raleigh, three current and former district attorneys, including local District Attorney and Republican congressional candidate Jeff Hunt, were among those arguing that the amendment won't change how judges apply domestic violence laws.

In Durham, an assistant prosecutor, the head of a state's domestic violence coalition and a family law expert said the opposite: that judges may decide that domestic violence laws don't apply to unmarried people because the amendment is broadly written.

Both sides pointed to Ohio, where the Supreme Court ruled after three years that that state's amendment didn't invalidate domestic violence laws.

During the press conference, Hunt accused some amendment opponents with spreading false information about domestic violence cases and law enforcement.

Hunt, who represents Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties as DA, reiterated his support for the Marriage Protection Amendment. He also criticized what he called the "negative and underhanded tactics being used to spread misleading information that just isn't true," according to a news release by his campaign team.

Backers of Amendment One called claims that the proposed amendment would weaken domestic violence protections "misinformation" and "scare tactics," saying there was "no chance" that domestic violence protections would be eroded by the amendment, Raleigh-based TV station WRAL reported on its website.

They were responding to claims raised by the anti-amendment Coalition to Protect All NC Families that unmarried couples of all genders stood to lose domestic violence protections if the marriage amendment passes, according to the WRAL report. That message has been pressed in two different ads the coalition has aired in recent weeks.

The coalition has cited legal commentary from law professors across the state as well as a Wake County prosecutor who specializes in domestic violence cases.

"The very fact that somebody can do the legal analysis, in quotes, to arrive at that conclusion points up the muddled thinking that is at the very base of the need to have this constitutional amendment passed," WRAL quoted Hunt as saying.

<p>RALEIGH (AP) — Supporters and opponents of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in North Carolina are disagreeing over the proposal's effect on the state's domestic violence laws.</p><p>Both sides in the fight over the proposed amendment held news conferences Tuesday, one week before votes are counted. </p><p>In Raleigh, three current and former district attorneys, including local District Attorney and Republican congressional candidate Jeff Hunt, were among those arguing that the amendment won't change how judges apply domestic violence laws.</p><p>In Durham, an assistant prosecutor, the head of a state's domestic violence coalition and a family law expert said the opposite: that judges may decide that domestic violence laws don't apply to unmarried people because the amendment is broadly written.</p><p>Both sides pointed to Ohio, where the Supreme Court ruled after three years that that state's amendment didn't invalidate domestic violence laws.</p><p>During the press conference, Hunt accused some amendment opponents with spreading false information about domestic violence cases and law enforcement. </p><p>Hunt, who represents Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties as DA, reiterated his support for the Marriage Protection Amendment. He also criticized what he called the "negative and underhanded tactics being used to spread misleading information that just isn't true," according to a news release by his campaign team.</p><p>Backers of Amendment One called claims that the proposed amendment would weaken domestic violence protections "misinformation" and "scare tactics," saying there was "no chance" that domestic violence protections would be eroded by the amendment, Raleigh-based TV station WRAL reported on its website.</p><p>They were responding to claims raised by the anti-amendment Coalition to Protect All NC Families that unmarried couples of all genders stood to lose domestic violence protections if the marriage amendment passes, according to the WRAL report. That message has been pressed in two different ads the coalition has aired in recent weeks.</p><p>The coalition has cited legal commentary from law professors across the state as well as a Wake County prosecutor who specializes in domestic violence cases.</p><p>"The very fact that somebody can do the legal analysis, in quotes, to arrive at that conclusion points up the muddled thinking that is at the very base of the need to have this constitutional amendment passed," WRAL quoted Hunt as saying.</p>